New Harry Potter Trailer Chock Full of Gollums and Smoke Monsters

Over five films, we've observed Harry Potter and his Hogwarts companions survive wand-fumbling puberty and brooding teen witchdom. Now, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, they have matured into formidable young adult conjurers. Watching these kids grow up is just one of the series' many charms. (We seriously wish they'd keep making these things until Daniel Radcliffe was 90, like Michael Apted's Up series with a $4 billion budget.)

The new trailer will officially release in two hours, but E! has a sneak preview, which we'll now scrutinize for your convenience in the latest edition of The 2-Minute Verdict.

We begin on choppy seas, as Dumbledore -- looking both distressed, and yet somehow entirely more at ease in his own skin -- warns of a powerful storm brewing. "This time," he explains, "I cannot hope to destroy it alone."

We're not sure what exactly is going on here, but it appears highly corruptible overachiever Draco Malfoy is enlisted by the guy-from-The Reader-who-must-not-be-named to wreak meteorological havoc on the London mass transit system. Clearly no expense has been spared, as the installment boasts three smoke monsters, a half-dozen Gollums, two fire tornados, and a couple of those scary cloud-skull-thingies to boot.

Also unclear: Which beloved star of British stage and screen will play a visiting professor who winds up being one of Voldemort's schoolmarmish minions of evil.

Verdict: Confundus Sequelum!

UPDATE: E! took down the trailer, but not before we could pull a (really crappy quality) copy of it. Enjoy this, while it lasts. We'll replace it with a high-quality version once the trailer releases officially.